Okay, Okay I know Iβm lateβ but yesterday was Missy Elliott Appreciation Day.
I missed the twitterverse commenting but I was reading, and 9 to 5 jobbingβI canβt always multitask like yaβll. Anyway, although Iβm a little late, I still want to share my Missy appreciation moment. Can I do that? Okay β thank you!
I remember one time, not too long ago I was sitting in the car with my parents and we were listening to Sirius XM. A Kem song had just gone off, and while they were jamminβ βI of course, sat there uncomfortably, and I was slightly annoyed. No shade to Kem, but it just wasnβt resonating.
That was until Missy Elliot came on. OhβWhat song was it, you ask? It wasΒ Get Ur Freak On,Β and my Dad was two seconds away from changing the channel until I yelled, βSTOP! THATβS THE JAM!!!!β He hesitated, but he left it and let me bask in my joy as I was gettinβ it in that back seat.
But you know to be honest, it couldβve been any Missy song. See, thatβs my generation, and Missyβs music does something to us that we canβt fully articulate. Β We canβt explain it when that fire beat goes so hardβthat we legit donβt even know that weβre moving. And I donβt know about yaβll (my millennials) but my stank face goes in overdrive. Because somehow those beats start and they fill your body, and youβre automatically transported into that place and time where you first heard a Missy songβand itβs all uphill from there. Iβm listening to her right now and Iβm there. I donβt even know what Iβm doing, but Iβm dancing because Missyβs beats told me to!
Even at Essence Fest this summerβI was really trying to be professional, but when I heard Missy get on that stage, Yaβll. I lost itβI.LOST.IT. I was straight up like, βWhy ya act dumb, like uuuh duuuuuh?! So ya act dumb like uhhh duhhh!β To which the rest of the press ignored me, because they were losing it too.
Itβs Because Missy gives us the permission to be who we areβwithout explanation. Her music makes it okay for us to immediately drop what weβre doing, and live in the present. We are free to be ourselves, we are accepted as we are and we are united in the moment. Her music brings people together.
I canβt tell you how I know all the words to allΒ of her songs, but I know that theyβre fire. And I know that they hold a special place in my heart.
My love for Missy started when I was in 4thgrade. This is way before Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and really the mainstream internet for that matterβ I would record songs on my tape recorder, and make my own mix tapes. So, I had to listen to the radio, wait for her songs to come on and time it just right to record it, and then I would make sure nobody was making any noise so I could get the full effect. I was committed. Missy was always on all of my mix tapes. Β From The Rain,Β to Sock It 2 Me,Β to Gossip Folksβlisten Iβm not about to list all of her hit singles because you should already know. The point isβthese songs were on my mix tapes and mix cdβs.Β I loved and STILL love Missy Elliot to this day.
And so, to Missy, I say thank you, I know youβve heard it, twitter has said it, but in case you need to hear it again, Β I love your music, and who you are. You made it ok for me, and countless others to beat to a different drum. You made it dope AF for the nerdy/bougie/jocky/preppy/creative black kid millennials to embrace who they are. You also made it cool for this lady to walk in her truth too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMf6ayBqU44
Your music still bops, and you better believe weβre gonna be playing your music for our kids to dance to. We love you. Yesterday may have been your appreciation day, but we see you and we appreciate you every day.
-Shanda